Back to the Original Question

Great Commission Resurgence - these are the three words that have filled the mouths of countless Southern Baptist Pastors, leaders and denominational workers with fierceness and debate over the last couple of years. Personally, at first sight, after reading Danny Akin’s message about a GCR, I was intrigued and interested at how something like that might happen. I felt wrapped up in with the discussion about falling baptisms, plateauing memberships, dying churches and a generation of leaders walking away from the SBC. I had seen firsthand close friends choose to leave the SBC-fold for other evangelical churches. I had felt the sense of desperation churches have encountering a culture opposed to the gospel. I knew the need for this type of renewal among our denomination. I felt, and still feel, a deep longing for revival among our SBC churches. I felt confident that God was going to use us as Southern Baptists. All of these feelings out-weighed my concern about Dr. Akin’s understanding of state conventions and associations. And when Al Mohler presented the motion to form a GCR task force I felt that it was at least worth a shot. Now I am wondering when we will get back to the original question.
Through 2009 - 2010 I struggled, prayed, debated and discussed the proposals of the GCR. The more I learned and the more I studied the less comfortable I felt about the proposals being presented - especially the items of Great Commission Giving and the future of NAMB’s work with our state conventions. I quickly found the call for a Great Commission Resurgence was becoming a call for a change of SBC structure - with a side serving of call for revival, repentance and church-awakening. (Many will disagree with me on this point. I make this point because the focus of the GCR report could never be moved from the structure issue by the nature of the report itself and the will of the Task Force) While I felt deep respect for the members of the task force and the goal (which I share) of having a revival of Great Commission awareness and growth in our church, I was becoming more and more concerned that we were missing the point. I was becoming more concerned that we were not dealing with the original question of the Great Commission.
It is here that I feel deep concern for the future of the Southern Baptist Convention. The influence of the GCR Task Force and its recommendations are being felt from the Executive Committee to NAMB to our State Conventions and Churches. Though I may not fully agree with all of it, we are going to continue to feel its impact. There are many aspects of the GCR that I rejoice about, despite my sincere disagreements concerning some of the recommendations. I rejoice about the specific calls given to churches and leaders concerning revival, Great Commission awareness and denominational service. I rejoice with the concern for reaching the nations with the gospel. I rejoice with the renewed effort to utilize the tools of Southern Baptists. Yet, I fear, we are giving into the belief that structure and policy change will somehow bring renewal to the work of Southern Baptists.
Changing the structure of convention work, removing the cooperative agreements, reducing staff at NAMB and changing CP percentages will never bring revival. We can streamline, shake up and move around the entire Southern Baptist Convention and still Great Commission fulfillment will not be guaranteed. We need to make sure, as things in our convention begin to change, that we do not rely on organization re-structuring to bring the presence of Holy Spirit.

The weight of the Great Commission rests in the presence of each local church. Each church, each family, each member - each Southern Baptist is called to fulfill the work of God’s kingdom. The GCR document made this clear in its recommendations. We need to make sure this translates into our local churches. Changing structure can’t revive us. Changing percentages can’t revive us. Reducing employees can’t revive us. The compelling vision is the vision we have had since the very beginning - Hebrews 12:1-2 - the compelling vision of keeping our eyes on Christ. The work of Southern Baptist has always centered upon the work of the gospel. My challenge for Southern Baptists is to re-focus on this compelling vision of Christ himself. Don’t think for one moment that changing our structure can change our relationship with Christ. Don’t skirt the issue of our Spiritual-apathy by focusing on changing our structure. We can fight the Southern Baptist fight and still find ourselves not fighting the ‘good fight’ of Christ. Let’s get back to the original question of Great Commission revival!